1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for managing a fluid flow. In particular, the system includes a valve with a shuttle for managing a fluid flow.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Pumps and valves located in hard to reach places present maintenance and maintenance downtime issues. Where pumps and valves are used to produce a natural resource such as a hydrocarbon, downtime can result in lost production and increased expenses for workmen and materials.
In particular, downhole production strings including pumps and valves for lifting fluids such as particulate laden liquids and slurries present a maintenance problem. Here, both pumps and valves can lose capacity and in cases be rendered inoperative when conditions including fluid conditions and fluid velocities fall outside an intended operating range. Such unintended operating conditions can foul, plug, and damage equipment.
The oil and gas industry is familiar with these production equipment problems and has in cases benefited from equipment designed to mitigate production process upsets. However, once this industry adopts a particular equipment design, it is slow to consider improvements for reasons including familiarity with existing equipment and the risk associated with using the untested equipment of market newcomers.
Production string bypass valves are one such example. Old designs are familiar and trusted to increase production process reliability. Despite a potential to further improve reliability using improved bypass valves, the industry chooses instead to maintain the status quo, buying the same types of bypass valves year after year.
Improvements in production string bypass valves are needed together with a willingness to adopt improved designs that increase production process reliability.